If there's one thing to take away from this article, its that this kid is an exceptionally hard worker. Sure seems like he busted his tail to improve his game past few years at Blair Academy:
After struggling to get minutes early on, Hazel’s relentless work ethic earned him significant playing time, a reason he averaged eight points and eight rebounds as a junior and 11 points and eight rebounds this past season, helping Blair Academy to a 19-8 record and a spot in the New Jersey State prep finals.
“He’s made unbelievable strides,” Mantegna said. “He was basically a Division II player when he came out here. It is a real testament to how dedicated he has been. Pat put in all the work. There are a lot of kids who talk about what they want to do, and have big goals, but don’t know about accomplishing them.”
Let's face it. Next year's freshman class will be more important to MU's future than whether or not James goes pro. These four newcomers -- especially the three bigs -- will get every opportunity to play and contribute. Poor play in the paint has kept the Eagles from being an elite team for years.
ReplyDeleteHazel seems to be a really underrated pickup. Finalists with MU were Rhode Island and Hofstra, but other BIG EAST schools were sniffing around when we offered. He's the type of dirty work player every team needs. I think he could be a Cubillan-like surprise next year for us off the bench.
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